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Ep 99 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Karen Yates on how dual qualified and rural midwifery demands different skills but offers unique rewards.

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  #education  #dualqualified #rural #retirementtravel

research link - ibit.ly/H5wrq

What does it take to stay true to your passion while adapting to life's changing demands? In this enlightening conversation, recently retired midwifery academic Karen Yates shares her remarkable journey from accidental midwife to respected researcher and mentor.

Karen's story begins unexpectedly in Darwin, where a brief student placement ignited a lifelong devotion to midwifery. After moving to Cairns, she navigated the challenges of the private healthcare system while raising young children, taking on night shifts that offered both family flexibility and greater clinical autonomy. Her gradual transition to education and research wasn't planned—it evolved organically from her interest in supporting midwives across Queensland's vast rural and remote communities.

The heart of our discussion explores Karen's PhD journey, which examined rural midwives working across dual roles. Her findings revealed professionals who identified passionately as midwives but accepted nursing duties as the necessary compromise for maintaining their cherished rural lifestyles. What began as a workplace investigation became a profound exploration of professional identity and work-life priorities. Most remarkably, Karen completed this rigorous research while unexpectedly serving in a demanding leadership position, demonstrating extraordinary determination and focus.

We also delve into how Queensland's rural midwifery landscape has transformed in recent years, with midwifery group practice models now established in areas where practitioners once couldn't imagine midwifery-only roles. Karen shares eye-opening stories about the stark differences between urban and rural practice, highlighting how simulation courses that deliberately mixed practitioners from different settings created powerful learning opportunities.

Now enjoying retirement, Karen continues mentoring PhD students while embracing travel, family time, and theatrical adventures. Her practical wisdom about maintaining balance, pursuing passionate research, and valuing lived experience provides inspiration for midwives at all career stages. Whether you're considering postgraduate study, navigating multiple professional roles, or seeking greater work-life harmony, this conversation offers valuable insights from someone who's navigated the journey with humour, pragmatism and unwavering commitment to midwifery.

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Ep 98 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Caroline Hollins Martin pt 2 on Birth Satisfaction As a Lens for Change

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  #education @EdinburghNapier #birthsatisfactionscale 

research link - t.ly/I6zN1
https://www.bss-r.co.uk

The professional journey of Caroline Hollins Martin reveals how a single observation about obedience in midwifery practice sparked a global revolution in measuring women's birth experiences. This fascinating conversation takes us from her PhD findings on midwifery obedience to the creation of the internationally recognized Birth Satisfaction Scale now validated in 23 countries and counting.

At the heart of this discussion lies a profound truth: hierarchical structures in healthcare often prevent midwives from providing truly woman-centered care despite their best intentions. Caroline describes how this realization led her to develop a practical tool that captures women's birth experiences in a user-friendly format suited to new mothers. This scale has become the international measurement tool of choice for assessing birth satisfaction.

Particularly illuminating are the discoveries about cultural differences in birth satisfaction. The scale manifests as a three-factor structure in Western countries but a two-factor structure in East Asian nations—reflecting how cultural expectations around obedience and choice significantly shape women's birth experiences. This research has expanded to include partner perspectives through matched scales that measure how birth partners experience the same events.

The conversation doesn't shy away from concerning trends in modern maternity care, including rising cesarean rates and the physiological implications of bypassing natural birth processes. "Oxytocin is the hormone of love," Caroline reminds us, highlighting what women may miss when natural birth processes are interrupted unnecessarily. She also addresses the challenges facing midwifery today, from retention issues to the need for expanded scope of practice.

Whether you're a midwife, researcher, expectant parent, or simply interested in how birth culture affects families, this episode offers profound insights into how measuring birth satisfaction can transform maternity care globally. Visit https://www.bss-r.co.uk/ to explore the scale and its applications for yourself.

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Ep 97 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Caroline Hollins Martin pt 1 on Birth Trauma, Psychology, and the Midwife's Journey

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  #education @EdinburghNapier #birthsatisfactionscale 

research link - t.ly/I6zN1
https://www.bss-r.co.uk

What happens when a lifelong calling meets relentless intellectual curiosity? Caroline Hollings-Martin takes us on her extraordinary journey from the moment she witnessed a birth video in secondary school and thought, "That is a miracle" to becoming a professor with over 139 published papers spanning midwifery, psychology, and birth trauma.

Travelling through four decades of healthcare evolution, Caroline shares fascinating contrasts between midwifery training then—with its starched caps and strict hierarchies—and now. Her vivid descriptions transport us to delivery rooms where she discovered her purpose and academic halls where she pushed boundaries by combining midwifery with psychology long before interdisciplinary approaches became mainstream.

The conversation reveals powerful insights about evidence-based practice, exploring why healthcare professionals sometimes struggle to challenge authority even when research supports them. Caroline's groundbreaking work on birth satisfaction (creating the BSS-R scale now used globally) and birth trauma offers practical tools for identifying women needing support, while her work with Turner syndrome demonstrates how midwifery skills extend beyond traditional settings.

Most compelling is her candid account of completing a PhD while working full-time—comparing the process to labor itself: "Every contraction is one less. It's like three feet forward and two back, but you're inching forward with every contraction." Her purple graduation shoes story perfectly captures the determination that drives her work and inspires listeners to pursue their own academic dreams.

Whether you're considering advanced education, seeking to blend disciplines in your career, or simply fascinated by the evolution of healthcare, this episode offers both practical wisdom and heartfelt inspiration. As Caroline quotes Oscar Wilde: "We're all lying in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." Listen now to elevate your vision of what's possible in your professional journey.

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Ep 96 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Qorinah ES Adnani on navigating a midwifery journey from rural Indonesia to being an emerging global midwifery leader

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  #education #Indonesia #unpad @universitaspadjadjaran #healthinequities #publichealth

research link - t.ly/IkiuJ 

What drives someone to leave everything familiar behind to pursue education in a language they've never spoken? For Qorinah Estiningtyas Sakliah Adnani, it was a deeply personal mission born from tragedy.

When Qorinah lost her mother at just 13 months old, the experience silently shaped her childhood in rural East Java, Indonesia. Decades later, this loss would fuel her extraordinary journey to strengthen midwifery education across Indonesia's 17,000 islands and beyond.

In this powerful conversation, Qorinah reveals the remarkable path that took her from a small village to becoming the first in her family to pursue doctoral education. With stunning candor, she describes learning English from scratch, improving her IELTS score from 4 to 6.5, and relocating to New Zealand for PhD studies – all while colleagues back home mocked her ambitions as impossible.

The conversation explores Indonesia's established midwifery continuity of care model, where one midwife serves an entire village, creating intergenerational relationships rarely documented in research literature. Qorinah's groundbreaking work bringing these practices to international attention has earned her recognition among the world's top 2% of scientists.

Perhaps most inspiring is her discussion of resilience through setbacks – from language barriers and homesickness during her PhD to returning home only to face career obstacles that ultimately led to new opportunities at one of Indonesia's premier universities and as the first Asian midwife visiting scholar at Yale.

This episode isn't just about midwifery or academic achievement. It's about how determination, supportive communities, and what Qorinah calls "greed and commitment" can transform personal loss into global impact. Whether you're facing seemingly insurmountable barriers or seeking inspiration to pursue your own impossible dreams, this conversation reminds us that with persistence, even the most challenging journeys can lead to extraordinary destinations.

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Ep 95 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) 2025 Virtual International Day of the Midwife (VIDM), a 24-hour FREE ONLINE CONFERENCE wrap up

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery @VIDofM #VIDM2025 @ICM 

program  - vidm.org

recordings  - YouTube @VirtualMidwives

The global midwifery community came together in an extraordinary display of connection, solidarity, and knowledge exchange during the Virtual International Day of the Midwife 2025. With participation spanning 57 countries and content delivered continuously over 24 hours, this barrier-breaking event showcased the diversity, resilience, and innovation driving midwifery care worldwide.

At its heart, VIDM2025 celebrated the power of professional relationships.  The evidence was clear – midwives thrive when supported by strong professional networks, with positive ripple effects extending to maternal and newborn outcomes. This theme of connection wove throughout the conference, from Bangladesh's peer mentoring program for midwifery educators to collaborative frameworks addressing workplace abuse.

Cultural responsiveness emerged as a crucial component of effective care, with several presentations examining how midwives navigate cross-cultural interactions.  These presentations confronted uncomfortable truths about racism and cultural misconceptions in healthcare while offering practical pathways toward more equitable care.

The conference showcased remarkable resilience in challenging circumstances, perhaps most powerfully demonstrated by Afghan midwives who've created online education programs in response to Taliban bans on women's higher education. This determination to preserve midwifery knowledge despite extreme adversity spoke volumes about the profession's commitment to women's health against all odds.

Clinical innovation flourished throughout the program, from Ethiopia's successful implementation of midwifery-led pelvic floor training to Ireland's Labour Hopscotch tool that significantly reduced intervention rates. Presentations on artificial intelligence applications, water birth perceptions in Nigeria, and acupressure for labor induction demonstrated midwifery's embrace of both traditional wisdom and cutting-edge approaches.

 Kate Greenstock beautifully captured the conference's spirit with her message about "flourishing in heartbreak and hope." Her insights on staying connected to purpose while facing healthcare challenges resonated deeply, as reflected in the word cloud where "empowered" emerged as participants' strongest feeling when connecting with fellow midwives.

Whether you're seeking evidence-based clinical approaches, strategies for professional sustainability, or inspiration from global midwifery leaders, the recordings available on YouTube (search "Virtual Midwives") from July onwards offer an invaluable resource. Experience the global midwifery community's collective wisdom and discover how connection strengthens our profession worldwide.

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Ep 94 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Ep 94 Elise Erickson on how oxytocin shapes our birth experience and trying to predict birth

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  @uarizona #epigenticaging #hormones #pph

research link -t.ly/ea0x1

MuMH lab -https://www.mumhlab.com/

From witnessing her first birth as an undergraduate to pioneering research on the biology of childbirth, Elise Erickson takes us on a compelling journey through her evolution from midwife to maternal health researcher.

Elise, associate professor at the University of Arizona and certified nurse midwife of nearly 20 years, shares the moment that changed everything—a women's health course that aligned her interests in biology, healthcare, and feminist theory. Her subsequent path through midwifery education revealed the power of community-based care, particularly in group prenatal settings where women support each other through pregnancy and beyond.

What truly stands out is Elise's ground breaking research at her MUM Lab (Mechanisms Underpinning Maternal Health). She's challenging conventional wisdom about maternal age, investigating biological aging markers that may better predict pregnancy outcomes than simply counting birthdays. Perhaps most exciting is her innovative work using smart rings to track body temperature patterns that could predict labour onset—potentially transforming how we approach inductions and birth timing.

The conversation delves into the complex relationship between synthetic oxytocin (commonly used in labour) and postpartum outcomes. Through meticulous research, Elise explores how this medication might affect everything from postpartum haemorrhage risk to breastfeeding success by altering oxytocin receptor function. Her work exemplifies the vital connection between clinical observation and scientific inquiry.

Looking forward, Elise envisions truly personalized maternal care that integrates biological markers, personal preferences, and social contexts—moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches while maintaining safety standards. Her story reminds us how curiosity and compassion can drive scientific discovery that transforms lives.

Want to learn more about the cutting-edge research happening in maternal health? Follow Elise's MUM Lab and join us in reimagining what's possible in pregnancy and birth care.

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Ep 93 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Linda Sweet on a journey through birth, breastfeeding, and beyond

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  #education @deakin @western_health #birthingknowledge #maternalcare #obesity 

research link - t.ly/Ov88k

What does it take to transform midwifery practice through research? Linda Sweet's remarkable journey provides a masterclass in connecting clinical challenges to academic solutions that genuinely improve care.

Growing up in rural Australia without knowing what a midwife was, Linda's career trajectory took her from nursing to neonatal intensive care, where her passion for supporting new mothers was ignited. Her PhD research on breastfeeding experiences for parents of very low birth weight preterm infants revolutionized how we understand maternal experiences in neonatal units. Linda's discovery of the "objectification of breast milk" – where visible storage created harmful comparison between mothers – has influenced modern practices like using brown paper bags to preserve privacy and dignity.

The conversation weaves through Linda's impressive research portfolio, from ground breaking work on pregnancy after bariatric surgery to creating visual heat maps showing obesity prevalence across Victoria. What stands out is her commitment to research that solves real problems she witnessed first hand.  Linda embodies the clinician-researcher who bridges the gap between evidence and implementation.

Perhaps most significant is Linda's dedication to building research capacity in midwifery. Through innovative approaches like research internships, small grants, and mentoring early-career midwives, she's creating pathways that didn't exist when she began. Her international collaborations in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea demonstrate how midwifery research can transcend borders and improve global maternal health.

For anyone considering a research career or wondering how to balance clinical practice with academic pursuits, Linda offers invaluable insights about creating your own celebration rituals, finding supportive communities, and choosing paths aligned with your long-term goals. Her story proves that whether you're rescuing research from crashed computers or changing practice through heat maps, persistence and passion are the cornerstones of impactful midwifery research.

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Ep 92 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Hannah Dahlen on the path of a feminist midwife championing change and a sustainable research future

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  #education @westernsydneyu #bigdata #Yemen #sustainability #perinealwarmpacks #leadership

research link - ibit.ly/Y58ML

From seeing her first baby born as a child in Yemen to becoming a Professor of Midwifery at Western Sydney University, Hannah's journey illuminates the evolution of modern midwifery practice, research, and leadership in Australia.

Hannah's story begins in the clinics of Yemen where her mother practiced midwifery, instilling in her a powerful feminist perspective that has guided her entire career. After training in the UK, Hannah returned to Australia in 1991 to find a healthcare system dominated by medical authority where midwives struggled for autonomy. Rather than accepting this status quo, she channeled her experiences into advocacy, rising through the ranks of professional organizations while conducting groundbreaking research. Her world-renowned study on perineal warm packs transformed an "old wives' tale" into level-one evidence now recommended in clinical guidelines worldwide.

Throughout our conversation, Hannah weaves together personal experience with professional insights about leading change in healthcare. She shares wisdom about building movements rather than seeking individual recognition, the importance of mentoring future leaders, and how academic research has empowered midwifery's professional standing. Her recent work on birth trauma through the Birth Experience Study (BEST) has gathered responses from over 8,800 Australian women and is now being replicated in fourteen countries, challenging systemic issues in maternity care.

Perhaps most compelling is Hannah's reflection on sustainability in leadership and the personal costs of advocacy. As she approaches her sixtieth birthday, she speaks candidly about learning to say no, finding balance, and encouraging a new generation to move midwifery from "surviving to thriving to transformation." Listen for powerful insights on leadership, research, and creating change that lasts generations, not just moments.

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Ep 91 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Ans Luyben part 2 on midwifery's impact and building educational communities

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery #Netherlands #Switzerland #Germany #education @bournemouthuni

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ans-Luyben

What happens when the academic journey takes you across borders, and your biggest triumphs and challenges are shaped by unfamiliar surroundings? This episode offers a heartfelt exploration of the PhD experience, shining a spotlight on the emotional and practical hurdles faced by students studying abroad. Ans continues to unpack stories of resilience and commitment, where supportive supervisors and a sense of duty to research participants become vital lifelines. We also contrast the cultural nuances of celebrating the milestone of completing a PhD in Scotland's communal ceremonies versus Holland's personalized moments, and ponder the impact of digital submissions on the joy of achievement.

We then shift gears to explore the often-overlooked world of midwifery, where relationships hold more power than hospital walls. Ans highlight the ethical environment necessary for antenatal care and argue for the acknowledgment of midwives' profound impact, especially in countries where their contributions are undervalued. This segment calls for midwives to transcend institutional boundaries, strengthening their bonds with expectant mothers and redefining healthcare's relational dynamics as a competitive advantage.

Finally, Ans delves into the broader themes of academic recognition and community building. The undervaluation of doctorates, particularly among women, and the transformative journey of a PhD, open up discussions on the unique skill sets developed and their potential to drive organizational growth. We also reflect on the essential role schools play beyond academics, as crucial social ecosystems where children learn the importance of caring for each other. This thought-provoking episode invites listeners to consider the multifaceted nature of education and the profound impact of community-focused learning.

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Ep 90 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Ans Luyben Part 1 on from animal obstetrics to midwifery: A journey of innovation and research

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery #Netherlands #Switzerland #Germany #education @bournemouthuni

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ans-Luyben

Ever wondered how a career can pivot from animal obstetrics to midwifery? Our guest is Ans Luyben, an inspiring midwife whose journey began in Holland, not only shares her unique path but also offers her insights into the evolution of midwifery education and practice. From her early days studying animal obstetrics to becoming a pivotal figure in midwifery research, she has navigated a fascinating career across Holland, Switzerland, and Germany. Ans story underscores the diverse entry points into the midwifery profession, influenced by family background and career opportunities, and highlights her role in a midwifery school that closed in 2010, a chapter that left a lasting impact on her professional journey.

Our discussion takes you inside a full-service midwifery clinic in Germany, where the importance of hands-on learning and critical evaluation of information is emphasized. We explore the challenges faced by student midwives today, navigating through information overload and a rapidly shifting political landscape, as witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ans reflects on the evolution of midwifery education, from the management and pedagogic courses of the 1980s to the current demands, illustrating the resilience and adaptability required in this noble profession.

Dive into the world of midwifery research and uncover the profound impact it has on clinical practices. From groundbreaking thesis work on diagnostic criteria for intrauterine growth retardation to the complexities of cross-cultural studies in antenatal care, our conversation reveals the pivotal role research plays in advancing midwifery. We explore the nuanced perspectives of mothers as an ethnic minority, particularly in Switzerland, and how historical events have shaped their societal roles. Through personal anecdotes and research milestones, Ans emphasizes the power of language and communication in understanding and supporting women's experiences in prenatal care. 

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The aim is for this to be a fortnightly podcast with extra episodes thrown in

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